


a match made in heaven

by yuqitakemyheart



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Kissing, Partying, Seven Minutes In Heaven Game, Shiratorizawa, Swearing, copious amounts of thirst for ushijima, side f/f relationship, some drinking, wakatoshi's thighs say "amen" if you agree
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25999810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuqitakemyheart/pseuds/yuqitakemyheart
Summary: Ushijima is obsessed with volleyball.Aiya is a workaholic when it comes to studying.Their friends are concerned about their respective social lives and hatch a plan to get them together.
Relationships: Ushijima Wakatoshi/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> howdy, dear readers! welcome to the first work i am posting on ao3!  
> this fic was originally a gift for a friend, but i've decided to edit it a bit and post it here so it won't collect dust in my drafts. once completed, there will be about 4 or 5 chapters. i will be posting the whole thing over the course of the next several days, so stay tuned for more!  
> enjoy! <3

The clock on the wall ticked loudly in Aiya’s ears as she tried to concentrate on the work in front of her. On all sides, the restless shuffling of papers and distracted murmurings of her classmates indicated that they too were anxious for the day of school to come to a close.

Bright afternoon sunshine filtered through the windows to her left and Aiya turned to glance outside at the grounds of Shiratorizawa Academy. In doing so, her attention was caught by the empty desk in that side’s row. The seat was normally occupied by Semi Eita, the flashy, quietly sarcastic member of the boys’ volleyball team. That particular Friday it was vacant, since the team was excused from class to prepare for the Miyagi Prefectural Qualifier finals the following day.

The Shiratorizawa boys’ volleyball club was somewhat of a big deal. The team had been top of the Miyagi prefecture for years now and was currently ranked among the top eight teams in Japan. The program was the pride of the Academy as every tournament drew valuable attention to the school.

And then, of course, there was Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Every student knew who he was. The team’s ace, one of the top three hitters in the country, player for Japan’s U-19 squad, and the most eligible bachelor north of Tokyo. Tall, strong, and silent, his undeniable talent had a screaming fan base to match. 

Aiya shook her head to clear her thoughts and tried once more to focus on her work. Frankly, she found the insanity surrounding the boys’ volleyball team to be quite ridiculous. Even if Ushijima was a brilliant player and--she conceded--handsome, there was no reason to obsess over a high school sports team. She had more important things to concentrate on, anyway. Like keeping her grades up so she would be able to maintain her academic scholarship, applying to universities, and, for starters, finishing the biology reading on her desk. 

Sighing, she pushed up her round spectacles, looked back down at the textbook, and continued reading and taking notes. She studied diligently for another half hour until, finally, the bell rang to release students from class.

Her classmates sprung from their seats immediately, rushing for the door. Aiya directed a soft, respectful “thank you” to their teacher after she packed up her bag. Then she plugged in her headphones and headed out into the hallway. 

The sound of upbeat guitars lifted her mood as she weaved her way through the sea of white-and-purple-clad students and stepped outside. There was a gentle breeze and her dark hair swirled above her shoulders as she wandered past the tennis courts towards the third year dormitories. She pulled out her phone to find that she had no missed notifications, but shot a text to her mother letting her know that she had a good week.

The door to the dorm building unlocked with a beep as she scanned her ID. She then climbed up two flights of stairs to reach the top floor, humming along to the song playing through her headphones as she pulled out the key to her room. Her neighbors were rushing along the corridor, shrieking excitedly to each other about their plans for the weekend. 

Once she was alone in her dorm, Aiya immediately dropped her backpack next to her desk and changed out of her uniform into a baggy sweatshirt and comfy sweatpants. Her single room was significantly smaller than the double she had shared for the first two years of high school, but she was grateful that third years were allowed their own personal space. She crossed over to the window and opened the shades to let the sunlight in before flopping down onto her bed and checking her phone again. Since she had nothing to get done that night, she let herself scroll distractedly on social media for a while.

Suddenly, she was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Before she could get up to answer it, the door was flung wide open and a girl with a blinding smile, ponytail swinging wildly, launched herself at Aiya.

“Akakura-san!” Aiya squeaked in surprise as the other girl toppled, laughing, to the floor.

“I’ve told you to just call me Kayda a million times, Aiya-chan,” she said, still grinning.

“You know I do it to annoy you.” Aiya rolled her eyes good-naturedly and smiled back. “What brings you here to visit me?”

The girl on the floor picked herself up and dropped down comfortably next to Aiya on the bed. Kayda was Aiya’s best friend ever since they were paired together as roommates for their first and second years, so it felt natural sharing space. 

“I came to ask what your plans for the weekend are,” Kayda said. “Are you gonna go to the game tomorrow?” 

Aiya could tell by the enthusiasm in her friend’s voice what her plans were going to end up being, whether she liked it or not. Kayda was captain of the Shiratorizawa Girls’ Volleyball Club so, naturally, she would be attending the match the next day to support her counterparts.

“Only if you drag me there,” Aiya responded, a teasing note in her voice. “You know the only volleyball matches I ever go to are yours. But I could be persuaded.”

"Great!” Kayda clapped her hands excitedly. “You’ll have fun, I promise! The team is really good this year--well, they alway are. I reckon they have a strong shot a making Interhigh Nationals!” She reached up to fix her ponytail which was streaked with fading pink from where she’d dyed it before the girls’ Interhigh Tournament. “It sucks that we couldn’t make it past the quarter finals this year, but of course I’m happy to go and support the boys!”

Aiya remembered vividly how upset the other girl had been just a week before when her team had, for the first time in her high school career, failed to qualify for the final four. They had fallen to an exceptionally strong Tomiya High team and, almost as though it had been a break-up, it took a whole night of feel-good movies and comfort snacks for Kayda to get over it. It made Aiya glad to see her friend in such a cheery mood and she would do anything to keep her spirits up.

“Fine, I guess I’ll go with you then,” she consented. Kayda beamed.

“Excellent! Are you free tonight too? I’m sure you are. Come join our friends and me now! We’re walking into town to the ramen shop to get some dinner. We can finalize our plans for tomorrow there. Grab a jacket and come with me so I can get changed and then we’ll head out!” Kayda chattered at the speed of light. 

Aiya could do nothing but allow herself to be swept along as she pulled on her sneakers. Kayda rifled through her closet, pulling out a jacket for her to catch as she was whisked out the door.

🏐 🏐 🏐

An hour later, Aiya and Kayda were huddled around a table in the corner of the local ramen shop. Steam from the warm bowls of noodle soup fogged up Aiya’s glasses and she pulled her hair back so none of it would fall forward as she ate.

Two other girls, Osaki Mitsu and Fujiwara Rui, were sitting with them. Both were their classmates who had shared the same dormitory floor as Aiya and Kayda in their first year. Mitsu was a wing spiker on Kayda’s volleyball team while Rui often studied with Aiya and attended their friends’ games with her. 

Aiya laughed as Kayda animatedly recounted a story from practice earlier that week. Mitsu had slammed a spike down the line during a scrimmage and a first year received the full force of it with her face. 

“I could have sworn she only had a fractured nose! But, there was blood everywhere and I’m telling you the way that Mitsu was screaming I almost thought the poor girl had died!!” 

Rui and Aiya giggled profusely at the thought of their usually calm friend in such a state of distress. Mitsu, also laughing, but blushing bright red, tried to bury her face in Kayda’s shoulder.

“Stop it! Stop it, Kay, you’re embarrassing me!” she shrieked as her teammate pushed on with her story.

“And so then I picked this girl up, right, and I helped take her to the nurse. Of course, the nurse said everything was fine. She cleaned the girl up and gave her an ice pack for her nose and we went back to the gymnasium so she could sit and at least watch the rest of practice. When we got back, ‘Tsu flung herself to the ground and started apologizing. And then the next morning she showed up to the club room and she’d baked the first year cookies!! Where the hell are my cookies, babe?!” Kayda broke off, joining the other girls in laughing brightly.

“I’d bake you some if you asked me nicely,” Mitsu mumbled into Kayda’s shoulder where she’d taken refuge.

“No, no, don’t worry about it,” Kayda reached over to ruffle the girl’s long brown hair which had pink streaks in it matching hers. “You’re an excellent senpai.”

“So,” Aiya began after the chuckling around the table had subsided, “what’s our plan for tomorrow morning?” 

“We’ll take the student fan buses there,” Kayda responded. “I’ve already got you a ticket, don’t worry. I knew you’d agree to come.” She paused to take a bite of ramen. “When we get there, we’ll sit with the student section and watch some great volleyball! Be sure you remember to wear your uniform. Then, afterwards, we’ll take the bus back to school.”

“She’s neglected to mention that she signed us up to take the eight AM bus there,” Rui mentioned.

Mitsu sighed dramatically. “Really, babe? Why have we gotta get there so damn early?”

“I texted the captain of Tomiya High School and told her some of us would be there to watch them play against Niiyama, remember?” Kayda said.

“Even though they beat us…” Mitsu grumbled. 

“Even though they beat us, we are still friends with Seika-san and her team,” Kayda said soothingly. “The Niiyama-Tomiya game is being played in the morning and then the boys’ final will take place in the afternoon,” she clarified for the other two. 

“I didn’t realize I signed up to watch two volleyball matches,” Aiya said.

“Oh, shut up about it,” Kayda reached across the table to swat at her friend. “You’ll be with us! You’ll still have a great day!”

“If you say so, I suppose I’ll have to,” Aiya said. She sounded resigned but winked cheekily back at her friend. 

“And, um, I forgot to mention to you earlier…” the volleyball captain said, not making eye contact. “I might need you to come with us to an after party when we get back tomorrow night,” she finished in a rush.

“I might--what?!” Aiya gaped at her friend. “Akakura-san, you know I don’t prefer to go to parties. Don’t tell me you committed to something for me!” 

“Yeah, you see… about that…” 

“She totally did,” Mitsu said bluntly, wrapping an arm around Kayda teasingly.

“Hey! Let me explain!” Kayda wiggled out of the spiker’s grasp. “One of the girls on our team lives right by school here in Sendai and she offered to host an after party at her house. It’ll be an absolute blast--provided that we beat Aobajohsai tomorrow--and even if we lose, the boys can just drink and dance their feelings away! So, with all this in mind of course, I was talking to Tendou before class the other day--”

“That’s how all your bad ideas start,” Rui said sarcastically. She was in class 3-2 with Kayda and the red-haired volleyball player and knew firsthand just what kind of shenanigans those two could cook up.

“Don’t interrupt,” Kayda huffed. “Anyway, Tendou told me that he’s been really worried about Ushijima-san lately. Apparently, he’s been working like a fanatic to get the team to Nationals again this year and--since the Interhigh finals are such an important milestone for that goal--he’s been pushing himself extra hard lately. Tendou says he’s in the gym every day right after school practicing serves, and he makes Semi or Shirabu stay after practice with him every night so he can keep working on his spikes. The man’s a literal machine but he’s driving himself straight into the ground.”

“Okay, so Shiratorizawa’s Golden Boy has been over-exerting himself,” Aiya said. “What the fuck does this have to do with a party? And me for that matter?”

“Hush, I’m getting there. So, Tendou asked me if I might know someone who he could use to distract Ushijima-san. You know? Someone who he could spend some time with and take his mind off of volleyball for a while.”

“You mean, like a girlfriend?” Rui asked, a conspiratorial smile spreading across her face as she started to piece the story together.

“Yes, exactly!” Kayda exclaimed. “But Rui already has a boyfriend.”

This much was true. Rui had been dating Kuba Hitomu from her class since the middle of last year. They were very cute together, Aiya agreed, but it was slowly starting to dawn on her where all this build-up was headed.

“And I’m dating Kayda,” Mitsu interjected.

“Yes, you are,” Kayda said fondly. “But, you see, Aiya, that leaves you as my closest single friend and, well, I promised Tendou that I’d bring you along to the party and, you know, introduce you to Ushijima-san.”

Aiya sat there, her mouth open and her eyes wide, looking much like a bewildered goldfish.

“A-and so,” she began shakily, “you volunteered to help Tendou set me up with Ushijima Wakatoshi.”

“That’s… that’s right,” Kayda clarified.

“What the fuck,” she whispered softly to herself. “What the fuck.”

“I can always text Tendou and tell him you’d rather not do it if that’s what you’d like,” Kayda offered. “I hope you know that I would never purposely put you in an uncomfortable situation like that. Not unless it’s something I thought you could handle.”

“Honestly, thinking about it, you two could be hella cute together,” Mitsu piped up.

“Yeah,” Riu agreed. “The height difference alone would be adorable.”

A bright pink blush started to creep its way onto Aiya’s cheeks.

“I do genuinely think you would be good for each other,” Kayda said sincerely. “You’re both smart--even if Ushijima-san can be pretty dense at times--and you’re both really motivated, just for different reasons. You spend an unhealthy amount of time cooped up in your room studying and apparently he spends way too much time in the gym practicing for volleyball. I think you could bring each other some sort of balance.”

“Oh, what the hell,” Aiya stuttered at last. “Fine. Fine, I’ll do it.”

Her three friends cheered and rushed around the table to squish her in a group hug.

“But seriously,” Aiya managed to make herself heard over the sound of Kayda’s shouting, “how the hell am I going to manage to talk to Ushijima-san, let alone ask him on a date? I’m already so shy just thinking about it that I could melt into the floor.”

“Aiya-chan you’re so cute!” Kayda pinched her friend’s cheek as she made to go sit back down. “Don’t even worry about it! You won’t have to do anything until a whole twenty-four hours from now. The three of us will be there for you the whole time! And Tendou and I will plan the whole thing out--you’ll just have to do what we say!”

“O-okay,” Aiya conceded.

“Good luck entrusting your fate to those two,” Rui snickered. 

“Hey! I’m sure that they’ll be brilliant! Don’t worry about it, Aiya,” Mitsu said defensively.

“Ha! And how did Kayda ask you out again, Mitsu? Didn’t she serenade you with a love ballad in the locker rooms after you won the Interhigh Tournament in first year?” Rui teased with a smirk.

“Then we all saw the whole thing on your captain’s Snapchat story!” Aiya remembered.

Mitsu tried to launch herself across the table at the two girls, but Kayda held her back and pulled her into her lap.

“It was all very romantic!” Rui shrieked defensively. She put her hands together, begging for forgiveness, and hid behind Aiya. “Please don’t kill us!”

“That’s goddamn right, I was very romantic,” Kayda said. 

“Yes you were, babe,” Mitsu said and swooped down to kiss her girlfriend on the lips.

“Get a room!” screamed Riu and Aiya. Mitsu stuck her middle finger up at her friends and went in for another kiss, ignoring the way that Aiya pretended to barf into her empty ramen bowl while Riu covered her eyes jokingly.

🏐 🏐 🏐

That night, as Aiya lay in bed, sleep would not come to her. Her thoughts were racing around endlessly in her head, the subject of every one of them: Ushijima Wakatoshi.

She didn’t know why she was so stressed. Ushijima-san had no reason to hate her. On the contrary, he probably didn’t even know that she existed. This was a boy who she had spoken a total of maybe five words to in her life. A boy who was the captain and star of the school volleyball team. Everyone loved Ushijima. What was she compared to that? Nothing but a girl on an academic scholarship with no flashy talents or interests. 

She wondered what, if anything, a boy who burned as brightly as Ushijima might see in her.

Her cheeks flushed a little as she thought about how it might feel to hold his large, calloused hand as he walked her through the hallway to class. Or what it might feel like to be held in strong arms. He could probably pick her up so easily, spin her around like the heroine of a romance novel… 

Enough of that, she scolded herself. Everything would be fine tomorrow, she knew it. What was the harm in trying? Even if it turned out that Ushijima didn’t want to go on a date with her, it would still be fine. She had wonderful friends who loved her, even if some boy wouldn’t. Some beautiful, popular, stupidly talented boy who probably didn’t even know her damn name.

Everything would be just fine.


	2. Chapter 2

Aiya’s alarm clock woke her up at exactly seven in the morning. She groaned and rolled over to stop the blaring sounds. Wiping the sleep from her eyes she untangled herself from her bedsheets and dragged herself over to her sink.

She brushed her teeth as she surveyed her sleep-deprived form in the mirror. She had not slept well that night by any means and it showed clearly in her purple eye bags and disheveled appearance. Aiya brushed her teeth and quickly swiped on a layer of makeup to conceal her exhaustion. Then she grabbed a few items from her mini fridge, toed on her slippers, and made her way down the hallway to the communal kitchen. There she cooked up a quick breakfast, rinsed the dishes, and returned to her room right on schedule.

After pulling on her school uniform and brushing the tangles out of her hair, Aiya grabbed a purse. She stowed her phone away along with her wallet and a pair of earbuds. She snatched her lanyard with her student ID off of her bedside table and locked the door to her room behind her as she headed out. 

Aiya arrived outside of the Shiratorizawa gym at five minutes to eight and waited for her friends to show up. She checked her phone and two missed texts to their group chat notified her of their whereabouts.

**Rui** : morning! heading out now, i’ll be there just before 8 😄

**Kayda** : it’s mitsu’s favorite time of day so we’ll be sprinting there as usual… lmao be there asap

Aiya sent a response to let them know that she was there and then opened up Instagram to check her feed. After a minute, she heard Rui walk up next to her.

“Good morning!” she said with a grin. “I woke up twenty minutes ago and came straight here. I’ve got some granola bars in my bag that I’m going to eat for breakfast. Want one?”

“No, I’m alright. Thanks, though! I made myself some food before I got dressed. In any case, you’ll probably want to save the extras for Kayda and Rui.”

“That’s right,” Rui chuckled. “Here comes the bus now. Think they’ll make it?”

Right on cue, their two friends came rushing around the corner. Kayda was still pulling up her socks and Mitsu had her blazer thrown over one shoulder.

“Nice of you to show up,” Rui joked. She offered them each a granola bar, which they accepted readily. 

The four of them joined the small group of students lining up to get onto the bus. Their IDs were checked by a staff member at the door, then they were crossed off of a list and allowed onto the vehicle. The girls took two seats across the aisle from each other towards the back.

“I can’t believe we’re up before ten in the morning on a weekend,” Mitsu grumbled as she folded her arms and cuddled up to Kayda.

“I’ll have you know that this was your girlfriend’s idea,” Aiya reminded her.

“Yeah,” said Mitsu, “but I could never hate Kay.”

“That’s very sweet of you, ‘Tsu” Kayda chuckled as the spiker rested her head on her captain’s shoulder and closed her eyes. 

The ride to the Sendai Gymnasium was short, but the couple fell asleep on each other before they were even halfway there. Aiya shared her earbuds with Rui, who leaned across the smaller girl to snap photos of their friends. Mitsu was drooling a little bit onto her girlfriend’s jacket and, although Rui swore she was going to use the pictures as blackmail, they would end up on the lockscreen of Kayda’s phone a week later. 

When they arrived at their destination, Aiya shook the other two girls awake. They filed off of the bus with the rest of the students and made their way into the gymnasium. Kayda gave Aiya the ticket she would need for entry and they passed smoothly inside.

“What now,” Aiya said drily, raising an eyebrow at her friends.

“Well,” Kayda started, muffling a yawn, “we still have just over an hour until the Niiyama-Tomiya match begins. I’m going to call Seika-san and let her know that we’ll be supporting her and her team from the stands!”

“Great. While you do that, I’m going to go find some coffee.” Mitsu stretched and headed off in the direction of several booths which appeared to be selling merchandise, food, and drinks. Rui followed after her, hastily telling Aiya to text her if they weren’t back in ten minutes.

🏐 🏐 🏐

Aiya observed the Sendai Gymnasium between matches as she split an overpriced sandwich with Rui. (Mitsu was on her third cup of overpriced coffee.)

The Niiyama-Tomiya game had been close and exciting to watch, but in the end Niiyama snatched a convincing victory in two straight sets. Mitsu and Kayda had met with the defeated team and their captain after the match to console them, and Aiya--feeling awkward among the group of strangers--had done her best to stay out of the way. Now the four friends were sitting in the bleachers, eating a late lunch before the boys’ match was due to start.

“So, Aiya,” Mitsu chirped from where she was lying across Kayda’s lap, “Have you thought at all about how you’re going to ask out Ushijima tonight?”

Kayda slapped her girlfriend’s arm in reprimand as Aiya almost choked on a bite of her sandwich.

“Uh, n-no? N-not really?” she stammered, cheeks turning red.

“Don’t tease her, ‘Tsu,” Kayda chided. “And please don’t worry about tonight, Aiya. I told you, Tendou and I are handling it. All you have to do is be your adorable self!”

“I still have misgivings about this whole ‘plan’ thing,” Rui muttered to Aiya.

“Hey! Have some faith in me please, Fujiwara,” Kayda gasped, clutching her chest dramatically.

“Aww come on, babe, at least I believe in you,” Mitsu said, smiling as Kayda leaned down to kiss her.

“You two are something else,” Rui said, disgusted but still fond of her friends. “Knock it off, lovebirds. The schools are arriving.”

She was right. Aiya watched as the stands near her and on the opposite end of the court began to fill rapidly with excited students. The noise in the stadium swelled and soon she had to speak very loudly if she wanted any of her friends to hear her.

“Come on!” Mitsu shouted to her over the noise of the crowd, causing her to jump. “We’re sitting up front with the rest of the girls’ volleyball club. You and Rui can join us!”

After locating the nearest trash can to throw away the wrappers and packaging from their lunch, Rui and Aiya followed their volleyball playing friends towards the front of the Shiratorizawa cheering section. Kayda and Mitsu’s teammates pressed plastic purple megaphones into their hands as they joined them. 

Before long, they were exchanging cheers with the contingent of Seijoh fans who--though they were smaller in number than the vast Shiratorizawa cheering section--still rivaled them in terms of noisy enthusiasm. The sounds of drums and chants enveloped Aiya, sweeping her up in the energetic hype of the atmosphere. When the teams emerged from the locker rooms for warm-ups, a deafening cacophony of noise rose from both sets of fans.

Aiya watched as Ushijima Wakatoshi led his team towards the bench with an air of importance. He looked imposing, she noted, as he discarded his warm up jacket and started stretching his arms. The team fell seamlessly into a practiced series of drills, starting with serves. Canon after canon ripped across the court, hitting the gymnasium floor with a resounding smack. Ushijima’s serves in particular looked like they could knock Aiya out if she got in the way, a sentiment that she voiced loudly to Kayda over the chatter around them.

“Oh I bet if you got hit with one of those suckers you’d be concussed for sure,” the girls’ volleyball captain remarked. “Hell, even I wouldn’t try to receive them.”

Down on the court, the team had moved into formation to practice spiking. Ushijima attacked balls put up by both setters with equal ferocity and Aiya quickly figured that she wouldn’t want to get in the way of those hits either. 

“God, his form is incredible,” Mitsu hissed enviously. She was also an outside hitter, but would be the first to admit that her skills in no way rivaled her counterpart’s. 

“Don’t get jealous,” Kayda soothed. “You’re a strong player; he’s just absolutely insane.”

The boys finished out their on-court warm up with receiving drills. As it turned out, Ushijima was even a talented receiver. Aiya watched, stunned, as he stretched to his full, impressive height to save wayward shots and how his leg muscles flexed as he crouched to receive. 

“Yo, he’s fucking _jacked_ ,” Rui yelled at her, leaning past their volleyball friends. 

Aiya could only nod in agreement. 

At last, it came time for the teams to be announced and for the match to begin. Aiya cheered wildly as each member of the Shiratorizawa squad was introduced. 

Ushijima and Aobajohsai’s captain made their way to the referees. The two were incredibly focused and intense as they faced off and shook hands. Even from a distance, Aiya thought their handshake looked more like a competition to see who could break the others’ fingers first. 

As the captains returned to their respective teams, the Seijoh captain beamed and waved at the crowd of white and turquoise, receiving a round of cheering in response. 

“Who is he?” Rui asked interestedly.

“That’s Oikawa Tooru,” Mitsu answered, rolling her eyes. “He thinks he’s hot shit and he’s an annoyingly talented setter.”

“Rumor has it that Ushijima wanted him to attend Shiratorizawa,” Kayda said. “That’s why they have such a public rivalry.”

At the sound of the official’s whistle, they turned back to the court and the match began. The game went by in a blur of sound and light and tense energy. Aiya screamed along with the Shiratorizawa fans: gasping when the scoreline was tight or they were trailing, cheering impressive and important plays, and clutching Kayda’s arm nervously as they waited for the final whistle. When it sounded, shrill in the wake of Ushijima’s powerful spike, the Shiratorizawa supporters erupted in celebration. The score had been close the whole way through, but Shiratorizwa had clawed their way to a victory of two sets to none. 

Aiya threw her arms up and whooped, uncharacteristically excited but caught up in the atmosphere around her. Next to her, Kayda twirled Mitsu into a dip and kissed her like the win was their own. Rui jumped around excitedly, capturing the whole moment of joy on video. 

The girls were swept up by the crowd of students and made their way to the bus, celebrating loudly. The buses were crowded and the four of them had to squeeze into a single seat. Mitsu and Kayda talked about the best plays of the game for the whole ride back to school and, for once, Aiya couldn’t even find it in herself to be annoyed. 

🏐🏐🏐

By the time they got back to the dorms, it was early evening. Kayda buzzed them into the girls’ dormitory and finally started letting Aiya know about their plans for the night. 

“Aiya, you go up to your room and start picking out potential outfits,” she instructed. “I need to stop by my and ‘Tsu’s rooms to change and grab some stuff. We’ll meet at your place in, like, ten minutes.”

They parted ways, Rui heading off to her room on the second floor and Aiya climbing her way alone up to the third. She unlocked her dorm and ran a stressed hand through her hair before throwing open her wardrobe and dresser drawers. She didn’t even know where to begin. What did people wear to a party like this anyway? Putting on some upbeat music to hype herself up, she started to pull options for clothing and accessories to lay out on the bed. 

Rui arrived right on time, ten minutes later, to help her start narrowing down choices. Naturally, Mitsu and Kayda were late, rolling up together after close to twenty minutes with flushed but excitedly grinning faces. 

“Let’s get this party started!” Kayda yelled, brandishing a makeup bag in one hand and a water bottle--that Aiya suspected contained more than just sparkling water--in the other. 

Rui dragged their friend over to the bed where she began immediately to appraise the outfits they had collected there. Kayda made Aiya try on at least fifteen different combinations of clothes before she was fully satisfied. Aiya stood in front of the mirror in a cropped yellow tank top and high waisted black jeans that clung to her legs. A few rips gave the pants some character. She turned this way and that to observe herself fully in the outfit.

“I like this one,” she said at last. “It definitely feels the most like something I would normally wear, just with a bit more edge.”

“I agree,” Mitsu chimed in from where she was seated on the bed. “You look cute, Aiya! Yellow suits you.”

“Alright, then! That settles it!” said Kayda. She held up a selection of shoes to choose from. Aiya grabbed a pair of white sneakers with black detailing and started lacing them up.

Kayda’s phone buzzed in her pocket and she checked the notification. “Excellent! Tendou is on his way up. I’ll get a start on your makeup--go sit on the bed.”

Following instructions, Aiya sat down and allowed her taller friend to start carefully brushing makeup onto her face. Minutes later, the door to Aiya’s room was thrown open by a lanky boy with bright red hair. He was wearing his Shiratorizawa volleyball jersey, championship medal, and a broad grin.

“Tendou!” Kayda shrieked and ran over to hug her fellow middle blocker. “Welcome to the madness. Aiya is right over here, let me introduce you.”

Aiya shook hands with Tendou and did her best to smile. With her glasses off and her makeup only half done, she knew she looked a mess.

“Aww, you’re adorable!” he said enthusiastically to her. “Kayda, she’s gonna be perfect! Thanks for agreeing to do this, by the way.” He addressed this last part to Aiya.

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Aiya said softly. “You played great today, by the way!”

“You’re too sweet,” Tendou chuckled. “I like the more natural makeup look, but I think some gold eyeshadow would really pop!” he suggested to Kayda. “Hey, could I borrow your eyeliner? I left mine in Semi’s room.”

Kayda handed him a tube of eyeliner and got to work on Aiya’s eyeshadow. Tendou walked over to the mirror above the sink and started lining his eyes with more ease than Aiya could ever hope to attain. When he’d finished, he returned the tube to Kayda and plopped down on the floor where Mitsu had moved to. He swiped her plastic water bottle and took a swig before she could stop him.

“Hey, that’s mine!” Mitsu said.

“Thanks for sharing.” Tendou handed it back to her with a cheeky smile. “Anyway, it was good to stop by--and excellent to meet you, Aiya--but I really should get going. I promised Semi and Reon that I’d walk down to the party with them.” He checked the clock on his phone and started. “Shit, I told them I’d be there ten minutes ago!”

He hopped up and stole Mitsu’s water bottle for a final drink. “I’ll see you ladies at the party!” He winked in Aiya’s direction, then threw Mitsu’s drink back to her before heading out.

“Well, he’s certainly a handful,” Aiya remarked, once the door clicked shut behind him. 

Rui laughed. “That’s one way to put it!”

“He’s very nice, though,” Aiya said. “And it’s clear that he’s grateful I agreed to do this for his friend.”

“That’s right!” Kayda said. “We’re all really appreciative of you for taking on the job, Aiya. It’ll be a relief to know that Ushijima has someone to keep an eye on him.”

She swiped a makeup brush across Aiya’s cheeks one last time. “All done!”

Aiya put her glasses back on and walked over to the mirror. She still looked very much like herself, but the makeup that Kayda had put on her helped enhance her features. Her eyes seemed big and glittery, and her cheeks were softened with blush. Highlight drew attention to the tip of her nose and the very tops of cheeks. She grinned.

“Thank you, Kayda! I look cute!” She fluffed up her shoulder-length hair.

“Damn right, you look stunning!” Rui said. She waved her phone at the group of friends. “Now, it’s picture time!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> additional tw: description of a panic attack due to crowded spaces

By the time they arrived at the house in town, the party was in full swing. Aiya smiled to herself as they approached the door. Shiratorizawa students could never resist a good off-campus party. After the victory of the boys’ volleyball team, they could be confident that the night wouldn’t be interrupted--the staff would let them have a rare night of unsupervised fun.

They entered the house to the sound of loud, bass-heavy music thudding from the living room on the right. That room was dark, illuminated only by a series of brightly colored strobe lights. The kitchen appeared to be on the left, still dimly lit, but less crowded than the darker room. 

Aiya elected to check out the kitchen. She was hungry and hadn’t had anything to eat since the sandwich she had for lunch at the Sendai Gymnasium. Her friends, however, chose to head straight for the dance floor. They told her to text any of them if she needed anything and that they would keep an eye out for Ushijima. 

It turns out, they didn’t need to be looking for Ushijima, because Aiya saw him as soon as she stepped into the kitchen.

The volleyball team’s golden boy was leaning up against the fridge, holding a glass cup that he appeared to have borrowed from a cabinet and filled with ice water. He was surrounded by fellow third years Semi and Reon who were both holding plastic cups--filled with what was decidedly not ice water--and talking loudly. All three boys were, like Tendou, still wearing their team jerseys and medals, though they had dressed the shirts up and down as they saw fit. Semi looked like the sporty front runner of a rock band and Reon had donned a pair of far too-tight leather pants, but Ushijima had clearly not even bothered to change out of his tracksuit. 

Aiya squeezed through the throng of people milling about the kitchen to the counter, where she filled a paper plate with a few slices of pizza. Then, she tried to make her way to a quieter spot near the walls. However, she didn’t get very far.

She moved past the fridge just as Semi and Reon decided to depart enthusiastically for the dance floor in the living room. In the limited space, Reon knocked against Aiya, who lost her balance and fell to the floor, losing a grip on her plate. The two volleyball players were too distracted to notice and had moved away before she could call angrily after them.

“Would you like help getting up?”

Aiya started as a voice above addressed her. It was Ushijima Wakatoshi, holding his glass of ice water in one hand and her unharmed paper plate of pizza in the other. _He must have scary reflexes_ , Aiya thought to herself.

“Um, yes please,” she said, averting her eyes awkwardly and feeling a slight blush creep into her cheeks.

Ushijima set down his water on the nearby counter and held out his hand to assist her. She grabbed on and he helped haul her back to her feet. His hand was firm and calloused, and she noted--not for the first time that day--how strong he was. 

“Thank you,” she said softly once she was again standing upright and back in possession of her plate of food.

“It was no problem,” Ushijima said in his deep voice. “You will have to excuse my friends, they are always so eager for a celebration.”

Aiya smiled in response and moved away towards the counter to eat her pizza, at a loss for things to actually say. In order to abate the tension of the moment, she pulled out her phone and found that she had twelve missed, very recent messages from her friends.

**Kayda** : don’t think we can’t see you   
**Kayda** : you are standing RIGHT next to ushijima   
**Kayda** : if you don’t start a conversation with his ass in the next MINUTE i will walk over there and ask him out FOR you

**Mitsu** : YOUR TARGET IS RIGHT THE FUCK *THERE*  
 **Mitsu** : SNATCH HIM UP RIGHT TF NOWWW  
 **Mitsu** : ISTG I WILL KICK UR ASS IF YOU CHICKEN OUT OF THIS ONE, AIYA  
 **Mitsu** : I LOVE U BUT U CANNOT IGNORE THAT HUNK OF A MAN  
 **Mitsu** : THAT BOY’S GOT *YOUR* NAME ON HIM  
 **Mitsu** : GO GET HIM!!!!!

**Rui** : K and M told me that you are standing right next to ushijima-san at this very moment   
**Rui** : DO something about it, girl   
**Rui** : you got this!!

Sighing in resignation, Aiya put her phone back in her pocket. She bit her finger nervously for a second before clearing her throat. Ushijima’s head turned slightly in her direction and his dark eyes flickered over to glance at her. She had his attention.

“Um, Ushijima-san,” she began, “I just wanted to say that you played very well today. You have a strong presence on the court and I think that your energy really brings up the team's focus. It was an exciting match to watch…” She caught herself before she started rambling.

“Thank you,” Ushijima said in a measured voice. His perfect eyebrows furrowed slightly as if he were thinking about something. “Have you been to many of our games before?” he asked at last. “I don’t recall seeing you in the stands.”

Aiya shook her head regretfully. “No. Actually, this was my first time attending an official boys’ volleyball match. I’m usually super busy with studying and things--got to keep up my scholarship, you know? But, I’m friends with Kayda and Mitsu on the girls’ team, so I’ve been to a lot of their games.”

“Oh, you know Akakura-san?” Ushijima offered a very slight smile. “She’s an excellent captain. Her team has been very supportive of ours; I’m very appreciative.”

“Yeah, she’s great,” Aiya gushed. “She always gives me shit for calling her ‘Akakura-san,’ though, after the three years we’ve known each other. She insists on familiarities, even with people who she’s barely just met.”

“She and I are opposite, then, in that respect,” Ushijima noted. “I allow few people to use my name informally. Only friends who I am very close to seem insistent on using my first name or nicknames--people like Tendou. You know him, I suppose? Since you are friends with Akakura-san?”

“I do!” Aiya nodded. “I just met him officially about an hour ago, actually.” 

As if on cue, the red-hair blocker slid up to them and threw a long arm jovially around his best friend’s shoulders. He smiled in Aiya’s direction, a sly sort of smile that she did not trust coming from him.

“Hello, Aiya-chan!” he said loudly. “I see that you have met our miracle boy, Wakatoshi!”

Ushijima grimaced good-naturedly at Tendou’s enthusiasm and ducked out of his freakishly strong grip.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Aiya muttered to Ushijima, who almost cracked a smile in response.

“What’s that? Gossiping about me?” Tendou laughed, hopping up to sit on the counter. “It warms my heart to see you getting along with people without my help, Toshi. Who knew you had it in you?”

Tendou threw back the last of whatever was in his plastic cup before his gaze fixed on the glass in Ushijima’s hand.

“Wakatoshi, please tell me that is vodka and not ice water in an actual glass that you borrowed from Ichika-chan’s cupboard.”

“It is water,” Ushijima responded in a flat voice.

Tendou groaned in mock frustration. “You are killing me, Toshi. Killing me, you get that? Stay right here. I’ll bring you something real to drink. You want a drink too, Aiya?” Without waiting for a response, he hopped off the counter and headed for the entrance hall. “I’ll bring you something, don’t worry about it!”

“Is he always that energetic?” Aiya asked, turning to look up at a subtly bemused Ushijima.

“He is often very high-energy,” the volleyball captain responded. “It is not always the case. Sometimes he can be unimaginably lazy. However, Tendou is…a social being. He thrives off of the energy in this sort of environment.”

“I don’t know how he does it,” Aiya said incredulously.

“I don’t have the faintest idea,” said Ushijima, shrugging and taking a sip of water.

“I’m definitely way more introverted,” Aiya confessed. “I don’t usually go to parties. The few I’ve been to I went because my friends practically begged me. That’s why I’m here tonight, actually. I, uh, I promised them I’d come with them,” she finished lamely.

“Well, I suppose I am glad that you are here--I’m sorry, what should I call you?” Ushijima asked.

“Oh! Right! I suppose Tendou does only know me as Aiya. You could call me Aiya too, I guess, if you want. Or you can call me Suzuki, if you’re more comfortable with that,” Aiya stammered out, trying hard to keep herself from blushing furiously. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten to introduce herself to him.

Just as she finished speaking, and before she could suffer a complete moment of panic, Tendou came rushing over. He handed Aiya a cup and replaced Ushijima’s ice water with a second plastic cup. He dumped Ushijima’s glass unceremoniously into the sink.

“There you go!” he announced, sounding very pleased with himself. “Now you two wallflowers can have some actual fun! Those drinks were mixed _lovingly_ by yours truly, so don’t you dare waste them. Anyway, I’ve gotta dash now. Duty calls!” He glared at Ushijima and winked not-so-subtly at Aiya before speeding back towards the dance floor.

Aiya peered suspiciously into her cup. It looked like it contained a mixture of fizzy soda and definitely some sort of alcohol.

“Any idea what’s in this thing?” she asked Ushijima.

“Knowing Tendou, definitely booze. Maybe something sweet, too,” he replied.

Aiya bit her lip, her curiosity and nerves starting to get the better of her. “Is it bad that I kinda want to try it?”

“I cannot stop you,” Ushijima said, deadpan.

Aiya contemplated the cup for only a second longer before steeling herself and taking a large gulp of Tendou’s concoction. The carbonation and alcohol burned her throat and she broke into a coughing fit. She looked up to see a faint shadow of amusement cross Ushijima’s face.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me,” she said and, though she was pointing an accusing finger at him, she doubted that she looked remotely intimidating.

“I would not dream of it,” he said, so solemnly that Aiya couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

Aiya straightened up and leaned against the counter. She continued to take small sips of her drink as she chatted idly with Ushijima, whose cup remained stubbornly full and untouched. After several minutes, there was a lull in the conversation and Aiya checked her phone again. She only had one message this time.

**Kayda** : join us in the living room. don’t bring ushijima and try and be flirty as you leave.

Aiya’s eyebrows rose slightly in confusion as she read the instructions, but she decided it was better not to question her friend. She finished the rest of what was in her cup before she made a move to depart.

“Sorry about this, but,” she held up her phone as she explained, “I just got a text from Akakura-san. She wants to talk to me so I’ve gotta go. Uh, maybe I’ll see you later?” She did her best to smile enticingly at Ushijima and then walked off quickly before she could hear him say anything in response.

Aiya deposited her cup in a trashcan at the edge of the kitchen as she made her way toward the living room. She peered through the crowd exuberant dancers, trying to spot her friends in the flashing, multicolored light. Before she could make it too far into the throng of people, someone grabbed her arm. She made a move to pull away before she recognized Mitsu.

“Come with me,” Mitsu yelled to her over the thumping music. She dragged Aiya over to a quieter corner where Kayda was waiting along with Rui and Rui’s boyfriend.

“How was your chat with Ushijima-san?” Rui asked, smiling from where she was sitting on Hitomu’s lap. 

“It was actually really nice,” Aiya said defensively. “Why did you tell me to come here?”

“Because, darling,” Kayda said, “we need you to at least try to play hard to get.”

“Yeah, it’s no use if you’re hanging off of the boy the whole night. Then we don’t get any indication that he’d actually seek you out to spend time with you,” Mitsu added.

“So now what do I do?” Aiya asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Now, we need you to dance,” Kayda said pointedly.

Aiya gaped at her. “But I--you know I can’t dance,” she tried to protest.

“Nonsense!” Mitsu said. “I know you’ve got moves hidden somewhere in that tiny body of yours.” She poked her friend teasingly. 

“I really can’t.” Aiya covered her face in embarrassment. “Do you seriously want me to make a fool of myself in front of Ushijima-san?”

“Aiya, you will at least make a decent attempt to--how should I put this?-- _throw that ass in a circle_ or so help me, I will force you to,” Kayda threatened. “Tendou and I devised a plan and you will stick to it.”

A moment later, as if summoned, Tendou appeared next to Aiya. 

“Did you get her?” he asked Kayda who pointed at Aiya in response. Tendou’s face lit up. “Wonderful!” He took the smaller girl by the arm and pulled her towards the dance floor. “Time for you to let loose, kiddo!”

Aiya’s friends trailed them close behind, laughing at the panicked expression on her face. She wound up with them in a group towards the edge of the crowded dance floor. Although she still had reservations about dancing, with every passing song she got more comfortable. The way that she was moving slightly stiffly to the beat could hardly be counted as actual ‘dancing’ but she was at least enjoying herself. 

She was not, clearly, enjoying herself as much as her friends. Rui was grinding back enthusiastically against Hitomu, who had an arm thrown posessively around his girlfriend’s waist. Kayda and Mitsu were also dancing with extreme vigour, which looked to Aiya more like full on making out as opposed to any sort of musically coordinated movement. Just as she started to feel a bit lonely and disinterested, and contemplated making her way back to the corner or the kitchen, Tendou materialized and dragged her further into the crowd of dancers. 

“Trust me,” he yelled into her ear over the noise. Then he started to move behind her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and rolled his body with only a little space between them. At first, she almost froze up. However, there wasn’t much she could do to escape the throng of students, so she gave herself over to the moment and allowed herself to get lost in it. 

Aiya was shuffled around by the crowd, hot bodies pressing in on her wherever she turned. It was a sort of crushing feeling, but easy to enjoy as she made eye contact with various people and began to groove with them. She danced with the girl Tendou had called ‘Ichika-chan’, her friends’ teammate and host of the party. She found herself pressed against Semi, and even took a turn backing up against Reon, who was absolutely thriving as the life and center of the dance floor. 

However, the fun of it all didn’t last forever. As a particularly loud and energetic song started up, Aiya started to feel dizzy and overwhelmed by the mass of people around her. She felt increasingly more frantic as she tried to squeeze past people and fight her way out of the crowd. The sweatiness and enthusiasm of the students was no longer intoxicating, but suffocating. Anxiety took hold of her and she felt like she was trapped. She didn’t want to dance anymore, all she felt like doing was lying down... Then, for the third time that night, someone grasped her arm.

Aiya was pulled by a strong, steady hand out of the crowd on the dance floor and into the relative safety of the entrance hall. She took a long, calming breath before looking up to see that her savior was none other than Ushijima Wakatoshi.

“Wow,” she gasped, still clinging onto his hand to keep herself stabilized, “thank you for getting me out of there.”

“Do not worry about it,” Ushijima said. “I saw that you looked distressed and I figured you would not refuse the help.”

“You’re damn right about that.” Aiya pulled her hand away from his to adjust her glasses. She wobbled a bit and remembered that she wanted to get off of her feet. “I think I need to go sit down.”

“I will take you,” Ushijima said. He put an arm around her, a gesture which was probably unnecessary seeing as Aiya could still walk on her own, but it made her feel secure as they walked back through the throngs of people in the living room to the quiet corner where she had met with her friends earlier.

Aiya sighed in contentment as she settled onto the sofa and hugged a pillow to her chest. Ushijima looked around warily as if he didn’t quite know what to do in this situation.

“Let me get you a glass of water,” he said at last, sounding more like a statement than as if he was asking for her permission. With a goal now in mind, he headed back for the kitchen.

Not a second later, Aiya’s friends surrounded her.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” Mitsu asked, leaning in close to Aiya and looking her in the eyes.

“I’m alright, Mitsu,” Aiya reassured her friend. “Really, I am.”

“I’m so sorry we left you on your own,” Kayda said, sounding worried. “I’m really sorry.”

“Did you see who pulled her out of the crowd, though,” Rui said, raising an eyebrow.

“No! Who was it?” Mitsu said loudly, whipping her head around.

“Ushijima-san~” Rui said teasingly.

“Oh my god, no way!” Mitsu squealed, whipping back to clutch at Aiya excitedly. “Aiya that’s great! That’s so romantic, holy shit!”

Kayda gently pulled her girlfriend away from Aiya and wrapped her arms around her. “Babe, I think Aiya needs some space right now. But seriously, that’s awesome! Not even Tendou predicted that would happen.”

Suddenly, the music was turned down and the lights were turned to a more normal setting. There was a groan from the mass of students who started to complain loudly. Amidst the confusion, Ushijima returned and pressed a glass of chilled water into Aiya’s hands. She thanked him quietly as everyone looked around, trying to locate the source of the interruption.

“Yoo hoo!! Over here!” Tendou was sitting atop the back on an armchair by the opposite wall, waving a long arm to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, listen up, fuckers!” he yelled so he could be easily heard. “We’re going to play seven minutes in heaven, so circle up and we’ll let the bottle decide our fates.” He dramatically held up an empty green soju bottle. 

At once, there was a hectic rush as everyone moved into a circle, all traces of anger gone and replaced by excitement. Aiya found herself caught up in it as Kayda forced her down onto the floor next to her.

Tendou walked to the center of the circle, still holding the soju bottle aloft. 

“So,” he shouted. “Who do you all think should have the first spin?”

The circle of people erupted into shouts and eagerly waving hands, trying to get the volleyball player’s attention and secure a turn spinning the bottle. Tendou took in the requests of the clamoring crowd for a minute before motioning for silence.

“I think,” he started, “that the opportunity should go to our own hero and golden boy...Wakatoshi-kun!” 

Behind her, Ushijima shrank back into the corner, his face unreadable, but his body language clearly communicating distaste at Tendou’s suggestion.

“Aww, come on, Toshi, don’t ruin the fun,” Tendou begged from the center of the circle. “U-shi-ji-ma!!” He yelled, starting to lead everyone in the chant they had devised for the volleyball star. 

Soon the whole room full of intoxicated students was cheering Ushijima’s name, urging him to come forward and start the game. Reon and Semi got to their feet and dragged their captain, who offered little resistance besides a disapproving glare, to join Tendou in the circle. Everyone was thrilled by this, clapping and screaming even louder. Tendou motioned for quiet once more.

He bowed to Ushijima, offering him the soju bottle. With reluctance, the taller boy took it. There was another round of cheering.

“Let the games begin!” Tendou crowed.

And then, Ushijima spun the bottle.


	4. Chapter 4

The party goers watched with bated breath as the soju bottle spun increasingly slower before stopping. It pointed in Aiya’s general direction, but she thought it was obviously closer to a girl a couple places to her right. However, before she fully kissed seven minutes in close quarters with Ushijima goodbye, Tendou spoke above the cacophony of excitement.

“Oh my god, it’s AIYA-CHAN!” he yelled, pointing right at her.

Before Aiya could voice any thoughts on the contrary, half of the boys’ volleyball squad was rushing over to her. Ignoring the indignant protests of the girls to her right, they hauled her to her feet and half dragged, half carried her down a side hallway to a coat closet. Tendou was already there waiting for them, holding the elbow of a still blank-faced but obviously livid Ushijima Wakatoshi in a tight grip.

Shirabu Kenjurou yanked the closet door and held it open with a smirk on his face as the rest of the team members deposited Aiya and Ushijima on the floor below the hanging coats. Tendou stood above them, grinning maniacally. He held up his phone, displaying a timer set to seven minutes.

“Your time starts now! Have fun!” he said, winking, starting the timer, and shutting the door with exuberant finality. 

For several seconds, Aiya and Ushijima sat in silence, listening to the racket of their peers on the other side of the door. Slowly, the noise began to fade as they disappeared back down the hallway and the dance music started back up in the living room.

“I think they’re gone now,” Aiya said, trying to peek through the crack at the bottom of the door. “I don’t see any more feet, anyway.”

“I am sure that Tendou has guards stationed at both sides of the hallway,” Ushijima said. “We are definitely stuck here. For seven minutes.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Aiya laughed, sitting upright. “I suppose things could be worse. At least it’s kinda quiet here.”

“You do have a point. Are you comfortable over there?” Ushijima asked, sounding slightly concerned. “Come lean against this wall.”

“Okay.” Aiya did her best to scoot around and back to lean against the wall at the back of the closet. The space was small and quite cramped, so her arm was pressed right up against Ushijima’s.

“Are _you_ comfortable?” Aiya asked, trying to see his form better in the dark.

“No, not really,” he responded. After a beat, he elaborated, “I have to duck to keep my head out of the coats and there is not room for my legs, but other than that I am fine. Do not worry about me.”

“If you insist,” Aiya relented. “So, what the hell are we supposed to do for the next couple of minutes?” 

“What would you like to do?” he asked back, too innocently.

“Um, I could ah...ask you some questions, I guess,” Aiya said, entirely too shy to press on the open-ended offer. “Do you, uh, have any other hobbies besides volleyball?”

“Volleyball is my favorite thing to do,” he said immediately, “but there are other things that I enjoy. Tendou lends me his _Shonen Jump_ magazines and I like to read them. I read them very thoroughly. I also like to spend time out-of-doors. My family owns a farm and I like to be of assistance to them, but I also enjoy hiking. Spending time in nature is peaceful.” He spoke carefully, deciding each sentence before he spoke it. Aiya realized that she quite liked how he talked, low, easy, and assured.

“What do you like to do?” he asked, breaking her train of thought.

“I like studying,” Aiya said. “I mean, I do it a lot, anyway. But really, I find so many things interesting! My friends say that I’m kinda obsessed--and I suppose I am--but I don’t see anything wrong with that. It’s nice to have something I’m passionate about. I really really like biology and natural sciences the most! That’s what I’d like to study at university, if I can get in. I’d maybe be interested in doing something in the medical field, but I think I’d rather actually work in the field, you know? Or maybe a laboratory? I just like plants. I think they’re so cool and cute and I like to watch them grow. I like to take care of things.” She stopped rambling and pushed her glasses up her nose, realizing that she was blushing even though Ushijima couldn’t see.

“That does sound interesting. I am glad you have something that you really enjoy, Suzuki-san. My friends also say that I am obsessed, but with volleyball,” Ushijima said.

“Oh, I know,” Aiya let it slip out before she could stop herself. “I mean, I heard that from my volleyball friends, you know, Akakura-san and Osaki-san?”

“Yes, your friends from the girls’ team,” Ushijima acknowledged. 

“Oh god, our _friends_ ,” Aiya said suddenly.

“What about them?” Ushijima asked, sounding confused.

“Well they’ll be expecting us to get _up to something_ in here, won’t they?” 

“Such as…?”

Aiya sighed. Kayda was right, the captain really was dense sometimes.

“Ushijima-san have you played seven minutes in heaven before? Or, like, heard of it?”

“No,” he responded simply. “What do people usually do during this sort of game?”

“Uh...well,” Aiya began, eloquently, “the two people in the closet are usually expected to _get it on_ , you know?”

“Get what on?”

“Kissing! Making out! That’s sort of what this game is designed for, to set two people up in a romantic way or a sex way or whatever…” Aiya tried desperately to explain.

“Oh, I understand,” Ushijima said at last. “So we are supposed to kiss?” he asked after a second.

“No, no, not unless you want to! I mean not at all really, we don’t have to do anything at all,” Aiya backtracked hastily, not wanting to sound like she expected anything of the boy. “What I’m saying is we _could_ , in theory, _pretend_ like we were making out and then maybe our friends would get off our asses about this. It’s pretty obvious, but they’ve been trying to set us up together the whole night.”

“Have they really?” Ushijima sounded interested. “I noticed that they have been somewhat rowdier than usual. Perhaps I understand why now.”

“The fact that we’re both in here was definitely an orchestrated plan. That bottle wasn’t exactly pointing right at me,” Aiya confessed. “There was foul play involved, I’m sure of it.”

“I am not a fan of foul play,” Ushijima said, considering, “but if we can get a victory over Tendou and the others by doing things their way, then I think we should do this.”

“Great!” Aiya said. “Oh and, Ushijima-san, please don’t think that I want to pretend because I don’t like you or anything--I actually really enjoy hanging out with you--it’s just that I want satisfaction over our friends so they give us some space, okay?”

“I understand. I like you too, Suzuki-san.” Ushijima’s voice was deep and sincere and Aiya felt like melting into the closet floor.

“Alright,” she said. “If we’re gonna do this then we should probably be in a more...compromising position. Can I, uh, get on top of you?”

“Yes,” Ushijima said. The two of them shuffled around again in the darkness as he helped Aiya flip over to straddle his lap.

“Okay,” she said, trying to stay settled, “now I guess we just muss up our hair and clothes.”

Aiya reached up to run her hands through her own hair and sensed Ushijima doing the same in front of her. She also adjusted her glasses so they were a bit off-center. Then, feeling uncharacteristically emboldened--perhaps a lingering effect of Tendou’s alcoholic concoction or by a surge of confidence--she reached out and unzipped Ushijima’s warm-up jacket. She felt Ushijima’s hand on her shoulder, gently pushing down the strap of her tank top. His hands were warm.

“Is this okay?” he asked her.

“Yeah,” Aiya said, a little breathless. “Okay.”

All of a sudden, the loud music in the distance was turned down. They heard the noisy sounds of talking and footsteps as the crowd of students headed back along the hall and towards the closet.

“They’re coming back for us,” Ushijima observed.

“Mhm, okay,” Aiya said, “I give you full permission to kiss me, by the way, if you really want to sell it.” She reached out again and placed a hand softly on Ushijima’s chest, right over the championship medal he was still wearing.

A warm hand grasped her waist and Aiya shuddered slightly, involuntarily. Ushijima’s other hand slid up her back and threaded gently through her hair. Then, Ushijima’s lips were on hers. They were soft and it was a tentative press. Aiya lifted her second hand and placed it on the back of Ushijima’s neck, bringing him closer. His grip on her waist tightened slightly and the hand she had on his chest clutched the medal in her fist.

They parted, just for a moment, and then Aiya leaned in to connect their lips again. The kiss was more intense this time, more open, more insistent. She worried his bottom lip delicately with her teeth and felt his tongue tease the seam of her mouth. She felt so warm and knew that she was blushing but she didn’t care, she just leaned closer to Ushijima… 

The closet door burst open and they pulled apart, blinking in the bright light. The harsh sound of a timer was emanating from Tendou’s phone, the owner of which was standing over them, eyes wide with surprise. 

“Holy shit, holy _shit_ ,” he repeated to himself softly. Kayda, who wore a similar expression of impressed bewilderment, elbowed him in the ribs. “Uh, time’s up!” he said, snapping out of it.

In the closet, Aiya and Ushijima scrambled out and helped themselves get back on their feet. Aiya pushed up her glasses and pulled up her tank top strap, her whole face still blushing pink. Ushijima flattened his hair and zipped up his team jacket. His expression was neutral, but there was a slight, barely noticeable tinge of color on his cheeks.

“So, uh,” Aiya said at last, silencing the whispers and whistles of the students around her, “could anyone direct me to the nearest bathroom?”

🏐🏐🏐

About half an hour later, Aiya was back on the dance floor in the living room. After retreating to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face in a vain attempt to calm herself down, she had located her friends again. They were still hanging around the dancers, but had made themselves frustratingly unavailable.

Mitsu was in the corner, perched on Kayda’s lap. They were connected at the mouth, and Aiya decided that she would rather not interrupt whatever they were up to. Rui was no longer attached to her boyfriend, but, when Aiya approached her, she had held what was obviously her phone’s home screen up to her ear and pretended to take a call. 

Shrugging off her friends’ behavior, Aiya had headed once more towards the mass of dancing students. This time, she was careful to stick to the outskirts of the crowd so she wouldn’t get stuck and panic for a second time. 

As she grooved casually to the music, she kept an eye out for Ushijima. For another thirty minutes or so, there was no sign of him. Then, Tendou reappeared with the spiker once more in tow. The middle blocker pushed his friend into the mob of dancers and shouted something after him that Aiya couldn’t hear over all of the noise.

She watched through the throng of people as Ushijima began--reluctantly at first, but with gradually more enthusiasm--to move to the music. And, wow, could that boy _move_. Ushijima danced with confidence and control over his whole body. How Tendou had convinced him to show off his dance moves, Aiya had no idea. But, she was very thankful.

More songs passed and Aiya tried to make her way subtly towards Ushijima. However, there were too many people between them and, after several long minutes of fruitless effort, Aiya decided to go outside and get some fresh air instead.

She forced her way back out of the crowd and weaved through the smaller groups of students to find the back door. Outside, the air was much cooler and Aiya breathed a deep sigh of relief. It was far less crowded out here on the patio. Someone was playing more chilled music on a bluetooth speaker and the overall vibe was much less hectic. A few people were sitting on the edge of the swimming pool, dipping their toes in the cool blue water, but most were just hanging around on padded lounge chairs and several folding chairs. 

Aiya scanned the area for friends she might know, but quickly concluded that they were all back inside. She was about to go find a place to sit down when a hand tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She whipped around quickly, but lowered her guard when she saw that it was Shirabu Kenjirou. The second-year setter held two water bottles in one hand.

“Hello--Aiya, is it? I’m Shirabu. I know we probably haven’t talked at all before, but would you like some water?” he asked in an even voice, offering her a plastic bottle.

Aiya stared at the water in teasing suspicion for a second before she took it from his hand and twisted it open. “Thanks,” she said.

“Don’t worry, it’s only water, I swear,” Shirabu said, opening the second bottle and taking a sip. “I might be crafty sometimes but I’m not Tendou.”

Aiya laughed. “Where _is_ that boy? I’ve only seen him briefly since the whole seven minutes in heaven thing.”

“Tendou is far too smashed to be of any use to anyone at this point. At least I _think_ he is. Maybe this is just his natural state. I can never really be too sure. Anyway, last I saw he was letting loose in the middle of the dance floor. Since he is practically out of commission at this point and your friends are making themselves scarce, I thought I’d come over and inform you that Semi and I are taking over the UshiAiya Operation for the time being,” Shirabu said.

“UshiAiya Operation? Holy hell you have a _ship name_ for us? What the _fuck_ , Shirabu??” Aiya knew she probably sounded a little irritated, but mostly she was impressed by the level of planning that had gone into this scheme.

“Yeah,” Shirabu chuckled. “We’ve had a group chat going for what--a month now? Thank fuck we made it to finals honestly, the whole plan was literally contingent on that. Beating Seijoh was just the icing on the cake, honestly.”

“You played really well in the match today, it was so fun to watch!” Aiya told him.

“Thanks! I’m glad you had fun and that you seem to be warming up to Ushijima.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “You two seemed real cozy in that closet.”

Aiya blushed a little and hid her face with one hand. “Yeah, well, he’s really nice,” she mumbled.

Shirabu shot her an even more pointed look.

“Okay fine, he’s gorgeous too--is that what you were going for?” She tried to change the topic. “You said you and Semi are in charge of ‘the operation’ now. Where is he? Why were you sent to look for me?”

“Oh, I think Semi is in one of the bathrooms upstairs. I saw him and Yamagata helping Reon up there. He was looking pretty sick, to be honest. I think the extra shots of soju that Tendou convinced him to do were a bad idea. Soekawa said we’d lost eyes on you, so I thought someone should track you down and make sure you’re alright,” Shirabu said.

“Well, that’s very sweet of you. You’re a very dedicated wingman, I’ll give you that,” Aiya praised.

While the two of them were talking, they were also meandering steadily across the patio and closer to the pool. Several more people had wandered outside as they conversed, and Aiya thought she spotted Ushijima’s tall figure among them. However, she decided not to abandon Shirabu just yet.

“That’s a very generous compliment,” said Shirabu, as they came to a stop by the side of the the pool. “We’re just all honestly worried about how obsessive Ushijima’s been lately. He’s overworking himself and he won’t listen to any of us, so we really think that you’d be a good match and distraction for him. Seriously, even though you’d never really spoken before tonight, I think he’s quite smitten with you.” 

Aiya adjusted her glasses and smiled shyly at the ground. “Really? You think so?” she asked softly.

“I do.” Shirabu nodded solemnly. “And I think I can prove it to you right now. So I apologize in advance for what I’m about to do. Please don’t be mad at me.”

Aiya only had a second to look up at him in concern and confusion before Shirabu pushed her into the pool.

There was a splash as water closed over Aiya’s head in a wave of cold and she lost her grip on her water bottle. She kicked out to propel herself towards the surface, but it was difficult when the weight of her shoes and clothing dragged her down. Above her, she could hear the muffled shouting of students.

Then, there was a second splash and she felt her body encircled by a pair of strong arms. A moment later, she breached the surface, sputtering, and Ushijima Wakatoshi hauled her out of the water onto the poolside concrete. He followed a second later, as Aiya coughed up the last of the water she had accidentally inhaled. 

“Fuck, Aiya, are you okay?!” Kayda forced her way through the crowd to her friend.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her voice was a little raspy from the chlorine, but otherwise she felt okay. “Thank you, Ushijima-san,” she said, turning her attention to the boy next to her.

Ushijima Wakatoshi was, quite honestly, a vision. Soaking wet, his tanned skin gleamed in the low lights from the patio. He tipped back his head to tousle his hair, sending water droplets flying, and Aiya felt her throat run dry at the perfect line of his neck and angle of his jaw. He peeled off his volleyball jersey, leaving nothing but his championship medal covering his sculpted torso, and the way that his shorts clung to his thighs was absolutely _obscene_. Aiya swore she could even see the outline of his--

A deep voice broke her lapse in concentration as Ushijima replied to her. “Do not worry, Suzuki-san. I am happy to help you,” he said, his tone gentle and reassuring.

She grasped one of his large, firm hands and he hauled her to her feet as the party’s host Ichika came pushing through the gathered students to hand them both towels. Ushijima wrapped one securely around Aiya so that she could cover herself before accepting his own. He also walked over to a pile of clothes where he had evidently discarded his warm-up jacket and pants. He grabbed his jacket and offered it to Aiya.  
“Please, take my jacket too,” he said. “I do not want you to catch a cold.”

“T-thank you,” Aiya half-chattered, half-stuttered. Now that she wasn’t completely distracted by Ushijima’s body, she realized how cold she really felt. “I’ll be sure to return it to you.”

With one last sincere smile towards Ushijima, Aiya was hurried back inside by her friends. She changed into a shirt and a pair of sweatpants from Ichika, throwing on the volleyball captain’s jacket to complete the borrowed ensemble. The jacket was comically large on her, falling almost to her knees and with sleeves so long she had to push and roll them up several times in order to use her hands. 

After thanking Ichika profusely for her help and promising to wash and return her clothes as soon as possible, Aiya’s friends helped her out of the door and back towards the Shiratorizawa dorms. Rui climbed up to the third floor with her and made sure that she got herself safely into her room.

“Thanks, Rui,” Aiya mumbled, the fatigue of such a long and hectic night beginning to hit her at last.

“No problem, kiddo,” said Rui. “Text me if you need anything. Oh, also--you look cute in that jacket!” She smiled mischievously at her smaller friend.

The girls wished each other goodnight, and then Aiya was alone in her dorm. She toed off her still-wet sneakers and stripped off her socks, pulling out her foldable drying rack to set them on overnight. Yawning, she made her way to the sink and brushed her teeth. Then, she flopped onto her bed without changing into pajamas and closed her eyes. Sleep overtook her almost immediately. 

That night, her dreams tasted like chlorinated kisses, sparkled like Ushijima’s wet skin in low lighting, and felt like the warm, comforting weight of the spiker’s hand in her own.


	5. Chapter 5

A few hours later, at seven in the morning, Aiya’s daily alarm went off in her pocket. She groaned as she dug out the phone and silenced the shrill alarm, recalling vaguely that Shirabu had returned it after snatching it out of her back pocket before she fell into the pool.

She only had one missed message--from Kayda. It contained Ushijima’s cell phone number and a winky face emoji. Aiya laughed to herself, sending a quick message in thanks to her best friend. She couldn’t believe she had forgotten to ask the boy for his number after they’d spoken so many times. Then, Aiya plugged her phone in to charge and rolled over, snuggling deeper into Ushijima’s jacket, and falling asleep again.

When Aiya finally woke up for real, it was just past ten. She took a quick shower and changed into her own clothes, then took all her dirty clothes down the hall and started a load of laundry. As she waited for the clothes to finish in the washer, she made breakfast for herself in the shared kitchen. She also prepared a cup of caffeinated tea to go with it and help boost her energy levels.

About three hours later, once the laundry was all dried and she had made herself more presentable, Aiya packed the clothing she had borrowed the night before into two bags and headed out to deliver them.

In the hall outside of her dorm room, she agonized over a text to Ushijima for a few minutes before sending it quickly and walking towards the stairs.

 **Me** : Hello Ushijima-san! This is Aiya from the party last night. (I got your number from Akakura-san.) I’d like to stop by today and drop off your warm-up jacket, so could you let me know your room number?

Aiya made her first stop at Kayda’s room. The door to her dorm and Mitsu’s were locked and Aiya saw no point in troubling her friends. So, she hooked the bag with Ichika’s pants and shirt in it on Kayda’s handle, sending a message asking her to return them next time she held girls’ volleyball practice.

As Aiya stepped out of the building into the early afternoon sunshine, she checked her phone and was pleased to find a text notification from Ushijima. It was a simple message--just his room number--but she bit her lip and smiled to herself anyway as she pocketed the phone and headed to the boys’ dormitory.

Her hands shook slightly out of a combination of nervousness and excitement as she used her ID card to get into the other set of third year dorms. Her stomach felt twisty as she climbed the stairs to the second floor where Ushijima had said his room was. She made her way slowly along the hallway, searching the doors carefully until she found his on the left side down near the end. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Aiya lifted her fist and knocked twice on the door. She adjusted her glasses habitually in the seconds that she waited.

“Hello, Suzuki-san,” Ushijima said, opening the door and greeting her with a small smile. 

“Hey, Ushijima-san.” Aiya held up the bag containing his team jacket. “I came to return this to you. I washed it this morning, so it’s clean.”

“Thank you,” he said, accepting the bag from her. Then, after a short pause, “Would you like to come in for a few minutes? There is something I would like to give to you.”

“Oh, um, sure! I’d love to,” Aiya replied.

Ushijima stepped back to let her into his room before closing the door halfway. His dorm was simply furnished and very clean. It was decidedly minimalist, save for a few volleyball posters he had used to decorate his wall with. The sound of Ushijima clearing his throat caused Aiya to turn around and face him again. He was holding out a small, light green succulent in a terracotta pot.

“I got this for you,” he said simply. “You said that you like plants.”

“Ushijima-san,” Aiya gasped as he handed her the pot, “it’s adorable! This is so thoughtful--thank you so much!”

“Your face lights up when you smile,” Ushijima observed. “I think that you are very beautiful.”

Aiya blushed pink. “You’re pretty good looking yourself, Ushijima-san,” she managed to get out.

Ushijima’s expression was mostly unreadable, but a faint bit of color appeared on his cheeks. He twisted his hands together as he asked softly, “I-I was wondering if I would be able to t-take you out sometime? Just the two of us...hanging out together…”

It was the first time that Aiya had heard him fumble his words. She thought he was _so_ sweet.

“Ushijima-san? Are you asking if I want to go on a date with you?” she questioned back, searching for clarification. Her heart was hammering in her throat.

He nodded. “Yes, that is what I am asking.”

“Oh my God, then, yes!” Aiya exclaimed, reaching out to grab one of his hands with her free one. “I would love to go on a date with you.” 

Ushijima smiled, a small and soft, but honest-to-goodness smile. Aiya felt like her heart might explode. He was so, so handsome. Using their joined hands, Ushijima pulled her in for a hug. From where her ear was settled against his chest, she could hear that his heart was beating just as fast.

After a moment, they pulled apart. Aiya looked up at Ushijima, whose dark eyes were fixed intently on her face. For the briefest second, she thought she saw them flicker downwards to look at her lips and she blushed again.

“I was also hoping,” said Ushijima tentatively, “that we could try that thing we did last night in the closet again. But for real this time. No foul play, no pretending.”

“No pretending,” Aiya repeated, lifting her head up ever so slightly.

Ushijima leaned in closer. “Is this okay?” he asked, voice quiet and low.

Aiya nodded. “Yes,” she whispered, “please.”

Ushijima captured her lips with his. It was a gentle kiss, like the first one they had shared the night before. It was so tender and sweet and perfect. But Aiya wanted more. She leaned up on her tippy toes and pressed their lips together more insistently. With the hand that was not clutching the potted succulent, she grabbed the front of Ushijima’s shirt tightly in her fist. He let out a gasp that sent tingles through Aiya’s whole body.

The sound of the door creaking open and Tendou screaming caused them to break apart for air. Aiya remembered that Ushijima had not shut it all the way when she entered.

“Holy shit,” Tendou yelled, “it fucking worked!!! Oh my god, I’m going to celebrate all damn day. The others have to hear this, oh _wow_. I’m just gonna leave you two alone now, uh, as you were.” 

He shut the door and they could hear him speeding away down the hall.

Ushijima looked back at Aiya with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What worked? What did he mean?”

“I’ll explain later,” Aiya sighed fondly, reaching behind Ushijima to set the succulent down on his desk. “For now, get back here.”

She grabbed his shirt with both hands this time, hauling him back down to her mouth. He responded enthusiastically, a warm, steady hand resting on her waist and another tangling in her hair. This time the kiss was hot and open and wet. Ushijima coaxed her lips apart with his tongue and she sucked on it before pulling back to nip gently at his soft lower lip.

Ushijima brought one finger up to trace her mouth as he buried his face against Aiya’s neck. He kissed softly at the skin there, drawing a choked moan out of her. He leaned back up to press a lingering kiss to her lips.

“You are going to drive me crazy,” he mumbled.

“Only if you let me,” Aiya quipped shyly.

At that, Ushijima growled playfully and lifted her up by her thighs, causing her to squeak and wrap her arms around his neck for support. Ushijima kissed up her neck again, placing another soft kiss to her lips before depositing her on his bed and flopping down beside her.

For the rest of the afternoon, the two of them laid there on the duvet in the volleyball captain’s room. They swapped stories and lazy kisses as golden sunlight filtered through the window. Aiya drew a finger along Ushijima’s arms and hands as she went on a tangent about forest mushrooms. Ushijima played with Aiya’s hair as he told her about his volleyball idols.

The whole time, Aiya felt dizzy with happiness and infatuation. As she grinned into another kiss with Ushijima, she thought, _maybe we_ are _good for each other. This could be the start of something special._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have read this far: thank you so much!!! Your love and support for this work means a lot to me and I am grateful for each one of you! <3  
> Have fun, and stay safe!  
> ~ cece :)


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